Goddess of Thieves
by Artemis133
Summary: Set in a country to the far east of Tortall in the Immortal Wars, The Lady of Thieves and her friends are pulled into the gods troubles. Immortals are rampaging over the land, and the gods call on Pyro for help.
1. Chapter 1

This story is supposed to take plce in a country to the far East, past the Spine. When the Immortals came down to the world out of the Realms. It will probably stray from the original story, though. Read & Review!

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Chapter One 

In Merchant Tanner's shop, the darkness in the room shifted, as the door opened just enough for a slight body to slip silently through. The body was clad all in smoky blacks and grays, for if the outfit was all black, somebody would see how it did not fit among the moving shadows, and that was not the ideal situation for this person. On the belt were two small pouches, and two daggers, all strapped close to the person, so not to move around. Feet were shoved into soft-soled black boots that reached up to the middle of the calf, with the breeches tucked into the tops, and hands were in thin gray gloves, overlapping the ends of a shirt. Both were obviously fitted to the person. A hood was drawn over the head, covering up the long, black hair. Black soot covered up the face, leaving just enough space for two bright blue eyes to peek through. Clinging to the person's back was a small bag, which matched the rest of the outfit so well that you could barely tell it was there in the dim light. Overall, the outfit was skin-tight, so not to move in the wind. It showed a slender female body, just barely matured. Somewhat short and stocky, the build was slender, but muscular at the same time, and the figure moved gracefully into the shop.

Pyro moved through the shop silently, going automatically to the back, were the stairs protruded, leading up to the merchant's living quarters. As she climbed, she slowly pulled the bag off her back, and over her shoulder. When she reached the top of the stairs, a floorboard creaked under her. She winced at the sound, and stood motionless, listening for a sound to suggest that the owners of the place woke up at the noise. To her relief, she heard nothing, and continued on.

At the first door she encounters, she laid her ear against the wood, and heard a faint snore. Skipping that room, she went to the next door, and repeated the procedure. At this entrance, Pyro heard nothing. She quickly slipped a bladder of oil out of her bag, and oiled the hinges. Then, she took out a roll of metal strips from her belt, and picked the lock. It came open in seconds. "Stupid morons," she muttered, in a quiet, but pretty, voice. "They always think they have the best, fool-proof lock against thieves, but each lock is easier to open than the one made before it. They should learn that there is no lock that can stop us." Slowly opening the door a crack, she peaked inside, and saw two desks, a bookcase, and a small window. She opened the door a bit wider; she slipped inside, and closed the door behind her. It would do no good for the merchant to need a midnight snack, and find her in the locked room. Behind the door, was a trunk, right were Pyro expected it. What she wasn't expecting was the trunk to be opened, and sorted through, already. She checked inside the trunk, but only found papers: receipts, stock, and letters to friends. After a quick scan of the rest of the house in the same manner, she decided that someone had beat her to the money. _Oh, well,_ Pyro thought, _Thraden will just have to deal without the glimmers for one job._

She decided to check the first room one more time, just to be sure. Still finding nothing, she oiled the hinges on the window, and slid onto the ledge and disappeared into the black night. Standing on the ledge, Pyro reached up to grab the edge of the overhanging roof with both hands. She slowly pulled herself up, and when she reached the top, she went a few steps away from the edge, and lay down. The sky was clear tonight, and the stars shone brightly. After a few minutes, Pyro thought she heard a noise. She laid silent, listening for the clamor of the Guard. She heard nothing, and when she was about to forget about it, she heard a footstep right behind her head. Jumping up, and pulling one of her many hidden daggers, she spun around to stare at the person who was sneaking up on her. At the edge of her dagger was a youth clad in the same garb that Pyro herself was in, although the hood was pulled back, revealing long, dirty blond hair, tied up in a horsetail. A few strands had escaped, though, and draped in front of his deep blue eyes, a shade or two darker than Pyro's own. And he had a huge grin on his face, despite the knife at his neck. It was her best friend and partner, Derek. "What are you trying to do?" she hissed, sliding her dagger back into its sheath on her forearm. "Do you want to get yourself killed? I almost did kill ya, you know. You are just lucky that I am much better at fighting than you, and have much better control. If our places had been reversed, I would have been dead before you noticed that it was me!"

"Are you quite done ranting, yet? And, besides, our places could never be switched, you are not stupid enough to try to sneak up on a thief who can fight." As Derek teased her, he grinned, and ruffled her hair in a friendly manner. Derek was three years older than Pyro's sixteen, and a head taller than her five foot two, and he never let her forget either fact, teasing her, and treating her like a little sister. She got him back for the teasing by beating him at weaponry, which, or so ha claimed, was only because she had been in the thieves guild for four years longer than him. "Kyle is back at the headquarters, waiting for you." Seeing Pyro blush, his grin got even wider. She was a hard girl to show any weaknesses, but if he mentioned the boy she liked, he got the rare enjoyment of seeing her off balance, even if it was normally followed by hard thwack. He was waiting for this to happen, but it never came, this time. After a minute, Derek slung his arm around her shoulders, and together, they roamed over the roofs of Gohtec.

At the end of one street, they climbed down a pile of vines, into a dark alleyway. There, the two turned their breeches inside out, to show the dark blue inside. With their tunics, they wiped the soot off of their faces with the gray side, and put them back on, with a lighter blue than the breeches on the outside. Now, Pyro and Derek looked like any other teenager in Gohtec, and they wandered through the streets, seemingly going nowhere exactly, just enjoying each other's company. Pyro had noticed a figure that started to follow them, once they had left the alley where they had changed. Now, there were six of them, all trailing behind her and Derek._ They must have heard Derek when he fell of the vines, and cursed. Rather loudly, I might add. And only a thief would curse with Tasachy's name._ She named the goddess of thieves. Unlike most other religions, in the temples in Gotec, and all of Remtlor for that matter, the majority of the deities were female. After about a candlemark of apparently aimless wandering, the two had lost the followers, and they came to an inn, called Picket's Harp. It looked like a fairly respectable tavern, and the two went inside.

"Ah, Derek, and Pyro! I was wonderin' when the two of ya would be back! Ya've been gone quite awhile, and keeping Him waitin', and, ya know, that's not a good idear!" The person teasing them was a short man, but still taller than Pyro. He was around thirty years old, and still had the slim build of teenager, and thick, ebony hair. He was the innkeeper, Tokch.

Derek and Pyro tried to slip past the crowded tables, heading for him, but a hand grabbing Pyro by the arm, preventing her from going anywhere. Turning, she saw a man, around twenty, was her guess. He made Pyro think of a prowling wolf, with his beady eyes, the color of varnished wood and thick, rangy hair, the same color as his eyes. He was obviously very drunk, as he tried to pull Pyro into his lap before Pyro knocked him to the ground, unconscious.

"You know, Tokch, you should really move this mat. It looks all wrong here, much to dirty," Pyro said as she turned around with a smile, kicking the man on the ground. Tokch laughed aloud, his gray eyes dancing before bringing Derek and Pyro drinks.

Derek, noticing that his friend was not behind him, but in the arms of a stranger, slipped his dagger out from its sheath, but by the time it was out, the man was on the ground, and Pyro was smiling. "I would think," he drawled, "after as many people who end up on the floor after touching you, they would know better." He walked up to her, and slung his arm over her shoulders, leading her to Tokch and the drinks. Once the got through the first throng, he whispered in her ear, "But I know of one guy who you would be very happy to have touching you, and not in practice, either."

As Pyro turned bright red, and voice said from behind them, "Really? Who is it?" Derek turned around laughing, with Pyro still under his arm. "Besides this idiot, of course." The teenager who was talking had thin, copper hair that just touched his shoulders, and joyful, hazel eyes. "You know, Derek," Kyle said, "She never turns this red with me. I think you should go away." He clapped Derek on the back, and led them to a small table in the corner as far away from the unconscious man as possible.

"Well, in answer to your fabulous question, Pyro here is madly in love with_ you_," Derek said extravagantly.

"I'll believe that when I see it, Derek." Turning to Pyro, he saw the man by the doorway. He said, "Pyro, I think you broke the record. You didn't even give Derek here enough time to get his dagger out to protect you this time." At this, both Derek and Pyro blushed.

To cover up her uneasiness, Pyro went over to the counter, to get the drinks Tokch had left them, before they had moved with Kyle. When she returned with the mugs, Derek and Kyle were arguing about which one of them had the prettier eyes. Pyro, who did not want to enter this conversation, slid Derek his drink, and went to see which of her other friends had come back from their job yet. When she came back, Kyle grinned at her. "Have you gone mute, Pyro?" he asked. "You have not said a single thing yet."

Derek smirked, and said, "I think that comes from almost killing two people in the last candlemark." Pyro glared at him, and was about to retort when Kyle interrupted.

"Two people? I only saw one…" He left the question hanging in the air, not caring which one of them answered it.

"Yep!" Derek smiled. "She got sick of me real early, and almost put a hole in me, before realizing that it would be a bad idea."

"I don't think that that was how it really happened, Derek," Kyle said, interrupting Pyro's sarcastic retort for a second time. He made up for it by making her smile with his own sarcasm. "Our Pyro has too good a sense that to get blood on her clothes, especially yours. And then she'd have to go and explain what happened to Thraden, and he always know when you are lying."

"Speaking of which," Pyro said, "I should go talk to him now." She stood up with a sigh.

Before she left, she heard Kyle exclaim, "She does talk! It's amazing!" before annoying Derek with questions about why she tried to kill him, which Derek refused to answer, just to annoy him. Pyro walked away, shaking her head.

"Pyro! Wait up!" The two boys caught up with her. Derek was still talking when they reached her. "You might want these when you see him," he said and pulled a bag out of his tunic with a smirk.

Pyro looked at him questioningly as she took the bag. Looking in it, she scowled. "You are so dead when I get back." Inside of the bag was the object of her raid earlier that night, a couple of exotic pieces of glass, each shaped like a mythic animal: a griffon, a dragon, and a phoenix, along with five others that she didn't know. Each was carefully wrapped in cloth, and stored in small clay containers, to keep them from breaking. Merchant Tanner had gotten them for one of the many nobles in the capitol, but the noble thought that it would be quicker and cheaper to ask a contact about a thief getting them for him. The trick of the trade was that the contact only stated his price, not that of the thief. Thraden and Pyro each got a profit, which the noble didn't know about yet. And they would bargain it at a ridiculously high price, slowly taking it down, to see how much they could get for it. If he didn't pay enough, the two thieves would easily find someone else who wanted them at a higher price.

As she climbed up the stairs in the back of the tavern, she wondered why Derek had gotten them when Thraden had asked her to, not him. In fact, how did he even know about her job? It was a question to ponder another time. When she knocked on Thraden's door, a tall, broad shouldered man opened it. He had dancing green eyes, and thick, chestnut hair, close cropped. The man had on loose, brown breeches, and a cream colored shirt that was half opened. The only thing of wealth he had on was a ruby drop on his left ear. He noticed who was at her door and motioned her inside. "How did it go?" Thraden asked kindly. As Pyro relayed what happened, both at the Tanner place, and with Derek, she handed him the bag, and he went through them all. "Hmm… Mannvor only said that the noble wanted three. I wonder about the other five…" He was obviously not talking to Pyro anymore.

"Majesty, is there anything else that you need?" she asked, bowing to the King of Thieves, with a small smirk on her face.

The two had been friends for years, before Thraden even had the slightest notion to become King. She had helped reach his throne, and he insisted that she should be Queen, not him King, besides, she had been in the guild for three more years than he had. She always smiled and said that nobody would listen to a woman, and, if that backfired, that she was too young. Instead, he invented the title The Lady of Thieves, and made it the most important position besides his. She was made Rogue Nobility. "If there is ever a man who has that place, it can change to The Lord of Thieves. But I don't plan on having anyone else in it for as long as I'm here," he told her once, when she got the title. He also hated to be called Majesty, and being treated like a noble of the rock. He always insisted that they never did anything, and he worked for a living.

Thraden smacked her on the head, and told her, "If there is anything I should need, I'll see to it, thank you very much." He tried to look exactly like one of the annoying nobles, always complaining. They boasted that they could do anything, but, in reality, they just had a bunch of very good servants.

"What ever you say, Majesty," Pyro said, this time attempting a curtsy. "Your wish is my command." She stood back up quickly, and dodged his next swing. "Honestly, Thraden, you have a hoard of people under you, all wishing that you would trust them to do something for you. Take my advice, and get it while you can!"

"I have been King for two years now, Pyro. If I still get this attention now, it will be the same later on in life," Thraden pointed out "I want to be able to take care of myself when I give up the throne. I can't just hire servants to help me with every little thing, especially if the four of us still want to go see the world." The two of them, and Derek and Kyle, wanted to roam around the world when they got enough money to live by for many years. Thraden insisted on giving up his throne if he was going to leave it for that long. "Anyways, thanks, Pyro. I don't think that I would have trusted anyone else to do this, but I guess I have to trust the boys sometime soon. And, thanks for not killing him." He said the last part with a grin, which lit up his face.

"Now, you know that it was a close one. And I was planning on doing that right when I got downstairs," Pyro glanced up at him, straight face. Only the glint in her eyes showed that her best friend would still be alive the next day.

"Pyro, I order you to leave Derek alone about this," Thraden said in mock sternness. "Although, I guess that I can't stop you from murdering him for another reason, can I?"

Pyro went to the door. "Of course not, Your Majesty," she said, bowing. When he went over to smack her, the door closed in his face. He heard a soft giggle coming from the other side, then the slight sound of her running feet.

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Read & Review, People! The more you review, the more you will have to read! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As Pyro entered the common room again, she could not find her friends anywhere. She decided that she was going to have some fun with Derek. After all, he didn't know that Thraden had told her to leave him alone, right? After wandering around for a bit, she still didn't see the boys. She had decided to go out back and do some weapon drills. The night had been a relatively short one, and she wasn't ready to head up to her rooms just yet. As she walked outside, she realized that she was not the only one to feel that way. The back courtyard had been turned into a practice court the year that Thraden had become King, believing that practice kept thieves swift and lean, and that they could never be too careful.

Pyro started to wander around, looking for a good partner, who would not be on their backs in a matter of seconds. She found just what she was looking for in the western corner, next to the stables. Two teenage boys were fighting with wooden daggers, one in each hand. Pyro leaned against the stable wall to watch them. After a bit, one of the fighters saw her and smirked. The other, not noticing what his partner was looking at, took advantage of his sudden distraction, and disarmed him, before "killing" him. "I yield," Kyle said smiling. "You might want to, also, you know, Derek."

"What are you talking about? I just won, why would I yield?" Derek wanted to know.

"Well…" Kyle let the word drag for a second. "You are about to get killed." He looked pointedly at Pyro. Derek, finally noticing who was there, flushed slightly.

"So, Derek, come here. Let's pair off," Pyro said, smiling at him innocently. Kyle stood up, clapping Derek on the back. He leant down a couple of inches to whisper something to Derek. Pyro wasn't close enough to hear what he said, but, whatever it was, it just made Derek flush even more. Kyle then came over to hand Pyro the wooden daggers he had been using. "Unless you prefer something more deadly?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, Kyle, you have to understand. The blunter the object, the more painful the kill. And, besides, Thraden told me not to kill him, but don't let him know, it would ruin all the fun," Pryo answer, whispering the last part, and went over to Derek.

They paired off, and Kyle called, "Guard!" The two began fighting, Pyro was more playing with her friend, and he knew it. As the duel went on, all the others in the practice yard stopped what they were doing to watch the small youngster playing with the taller, older boy. Pyro continued her game for a bit less than a quarter of a candlemark, until Thraden walked out of the tavern. He took one look around and yelled, "Pyro, my quarters, now!" He then turned around and went back inside.

Derek was sweat soaked, and tired. Kyle was very amused, and tried to hide it, without much success. The others around the courtyard were watching the two with a mixture of amusement, awe, and pity, both for Derek, for being played with, and for Pyro, for having to face the King's wrath. Nobody wanted to cross this King.

Pyro headed towards the stables to put her daggers up, but Kyle intercepted her. He smiled at her, and Pyro's stomach did flip-flop. She felt stupid, to be feeling like that with her friend, but she couldn't help it. Kyle took her daggers, and led her, arm around her shoulders, to the tavern. Once they reached the stairs, however, he turned around and headed back out into the silent practice courts. As if his arrival had signaled something, all of the activities started up again. Pyro went up the stairs, feeling miserable. She had felt great, until Thraden had come. Now, she felt horrible for having treated her friend so poorly.

She knocked on Thraden's door for the second time that night. When she was let in, she found something she did not expect. The King was _laughing_! "Come in!" he said. "And don't look so miserable, that was hilarious! You should have seen it! Anyways," he said after a minute, calming down, "I told you that you had to leave him alone, which you did not. Normally, that would result in a punishment. Yours, however, is going to be a bit different. I want you to go, apologize to Derek, and hear his full story and why he did what he did. And then, you will spend the rest of week of training the new kids. They all just saw how you did things, and they want the best. Starting tomorrow night. Alright?"

"But Thraden, the new 'kids' are older than I am!" Pyro protested. "And taller, too. The youngest one is eighteen and five four!"

"Ah, but you are better, and more experienced than them. Pyro, you have been in this guild since you were four. And, you can beat almost anyone here with a dagger and at least three quarters bare handed, no matter that you're the runt."

When Thraden dismissed her, she didn't go back downstairs. Instead, she snuck outside using a small window at the edge of the hallway. She climbed up onto the roof, and sat there for a while. About a candlemark later, Derek came up and sat down next to her. He had come up out of a trap door that led up a ladder in the back of the common room, by the stairs. Pyro couldn't bring herself to talk to him, nor he to her. After a bit, they were joined by Kyle. "I noticed that neither one of you came back down, so I figured that I could find you up here," he said, not expecting an answer. "You two all right?" he asked, yawning. The other two just nodded. "Well then, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up to late, all right?" he said, jokingly. It was already six candlemarks after midnight. Kyle jumped onto the next roof over, which was a connecting apartment building for members of the guild, and down that trapdoor.

"Listen, Derek, I'm really sorry about earlier. I really didn't mean it. I was just angry, that's all. Do you forgive me?" Pyro asked after Kyle had been gone a while.

"I'm not sure," Derek answered. "I mean, yes, what I did was wrong, but what you did really got to me. I'm sorry if you don't understand that, but I just need a bit of time, all right?" With that, Derek got up, and followed Kyle down the door. Pyro stood up and watched the sunrise, thinking. Thraden came up behind her without her noticing, and slid his arms around her.

"Everything all right?" he asked kindly.

"I'm not sure. I apologized to him, and he said that he needed to think about it. Not that I blame him or anything," she added hastily, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "I just wanted it to be all right with him. I mean, he is my best friend, and I don't want to lose him, not because of me being overly emotional." Pyro blushed, feeling she said too much. Thinking of what she had just said, Pyro started to cry silently.

To her surprise, Thraden's arms tightened, and he gave her a kiss on the head. "Don't worry, Runt," he said, using her childhood nickname. "Everything will be fine. Just give it time." And, with that, he went back down to his room.

After a moment to recollect herself, Pyro leapt across the gap between the buildings, over to the next roof, and went down the same trapdoor that the first two boys had used. On her way to her room, she ran across an open door. It led Derek and Certher's room- everyone in the guild shared a room with one other person, to cut down on the prices. To her surprise, Certher's voice was not one of the ones she heard coming from it. She heard Kyle and Derek, and Llannel, Kyle's roommate.

"-should just forget about it, Derek! She's a sixteen year old female, and the gods know that they have their own way of doing things." Llannel voice was the first one she hear, but it was quickly cut off by Derek's.

"I know, Llannel, I just don't know what to do. I hate to sound stupid, but, after what I did, I would not want to be my friend anymore. And after what she did, does not make me want to be hers right now, either." Pyro wanted to run in and reassure him, but she remained silent. It would not do any good to let the boy's know that she was eavesdropping on them. That would only make matters worse.

"Derek, she has been your best friend for almost ten years. She would not give that up because you did something stupid, and you shouldn't give her up like that, either" Kyle added. Sarcastically, he said, "she would have left you a long time ago if she would."

"I don't know-" Derek was interrupted by Llannel.

"Just go, explain to her why you did it, and she will forgive you, but only if you forgive her in return. She already apologized to you, just go back to her. Holding a grudge about this is just plain stupid. Even I can see that. And you really have to mean it; she won't believe a half-hearted explanation. She's too smart for that."

There was some creaking, and then some muttering. "Just to let you know, Derek, Pyro was just outside, crying, because she did not want to lose your friendship. And if I know you at all, you are in here thinking around the same lines as her. You both made stupid mistakes, no get over it, and go talk to her." Surprisingly, that voice was Thraden's.

"You hit the nail on the head, Thraden. How did you know?" Llannel asked.

"The reason that these two but heads all the time is that they're too much alike. So, if one is moping, then the other most likely is, too. Neither of them will forgive without an apology, they're just too stubborn for that," Thraden said. "But I have to be getting back. Delye and Casach should be getting back about now."

"Thanks, Thraden, but I don't know," Derek told him.

"Why don't you go talk to her now? She shouldn't be asleep yet. She just came in a bit ago," Thraden pointed out.

_I need to get out of here before they come out_, Pyro thought. She ran silently down the hall and turned the corner. She ran in a circle, before reaching the stairs, which were originally on the other side of Derek's open door. As she scampered down them to the next floor, she thought about what she had heard. _Why did Derek take my job? And why is it so important to let me know now, besides the fact that I would be very out of it all morning._ Pyro kept turning these thoughts over in her head as she got to her own room, almost directly below Derek's.

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm as she ran past an alcove in the wall. It pulled her against the owner of the hand. It was to dark to see the person's face, and Pyro struggled in his grip. For all she was strong, the man holding her was stronger. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, before the person holding her covered her mouth with his hand and hissed, "Pyro, for the love of the gods, calm down!" It was Kyle who was holding her. When she stopped struggling, he let go of her mouth, but not her arm.

"But, you were…and I… how?" was the first halfway sensible thing that came out of her mouth.

"I Saw you running down the halls, you were projecting enough for anybody in the building with the tiniest sense of Mind-gift to know what you were feeling. You are normally unreadable, so you are either truly exhausted, which I doubt, since I have seen you go days without sleep, or you were scared enough to slip. When you went the long way, I came down quickly to talk to you before you got in you room with Vesnaugh. What's wrong?" The caring in Kyle's voice just made Pyro want to cry. She held back tears, but only barely. "Did you hear…" Kyle let his voice trail off. Pyro nodded slowly, not moving her gaze from the floor. "Oh, Pyro, I'm so sorry," he said, and held her in his arms until she got control of herself again. She pushed away from him and tried to go into her rooms, but Kyle held her there. "Pyro, you are nowhere near well enough to be isolated right now, and Vesnaugh is not a good companion when she is asleep. Come on up to my rooms. You need human contact right now. I know that, and I am not even Reading you."

Sometimes, Kyle's Mind-gift was very annoying, his ability to read her emotions, and tell when she was not being truthful, among other things. He used to always jibe her about being in love with someone when she hadn't perfected her wall yet. He never knew that it was him, and he kept trying to get her to tell him. Now, though, he was right, although she could not bring herself to admit it. Kyle had to forcibly drag her from the niche where they had been talking. After realizing that she could not win his argument, she let him pull her along. His room was right down the hall from Derek's, and, when they passed his room, there was no more noise coming from it. Kyle let her go when they reached his door, and dug his hand around in his pocket, before producing a key. Keys weren't necessarily needed for the guild members, but better safe than sorry was how most of them looked at it.

Opening the door, Kyle reached out to her again, and pulled her into his room. His room was clean, with two beds, a desk, and a bookcase. The desk had a branch of candles on it, and a pile of papers in a corner. The bookcase had a row of neat books, and many odds-and-ends, including a small collection of daggers, and a rock in the shape of a frog that Pyro had made and given to Kyle as a Midwinter's gift a few years ago. At the foot of each bed was a small trunk, which held clothing and other bits. Kyle's was open, revealing the contents of a jewel cleaning kit, and a few tunics. There were a pair of boots at the head of each bed, and a dressing room and privy through a door in the far corner.

Motioning her to take a seat on his bed, Kyle took out a slate and chalk from the desk to write a message. He took the board to the hall, and hung it from a nail beside the door. When he came back in the room, Pyro asked what was on the board. "A message to Llannel, asking him to go to Selp's room for now. They're best friends," he added, as in an explanation. He came over to sit on the bed bedside Pyro, and took her in his arms. "It's alright, Pyro. Nothing's wrong. Derek will get over it…" Kyle kept murmuring reassurance in her ear until she fell asleep in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Pyro woke up around midday. It took her a minute to remember where she was. What reminded her was Kyle, lying on the other bed. _Oh, no! Everyone is going to talk about us, saying that we did something that we didn't do…_ Pyro kept thinking around in circles on how to get out of her mess. When she got up, Kyle opened an eye.

"Ah, your awake. How are you feeling, Pyro?" Kyle asked, while he sat up, yawning.

"Honestly, I've felt a lot better, but not as horrible as last night." Pyro sighed. "Thank you, by the way." Pyro did not know what else to say; everything sounded stupid. "I'm, um, sorry that I kicked you out of your bed…"

"Oh, that's all right. I've slept on worse than a different bed. Besides, you needed it," Kyle pointed out. Pyro pulled the door open, blushing.

"You know, there's gonna be a lot of gossip about us now," Pyro said, before leaving.

On her way down the hall, Kyle said, "Let them gossip." He caught up to her, a fresh tunic in his hand. "They have no better life. And, besides, quite a few people would say that it is about time that you had somebody to love." Pyro's blush deepened, and she refused to look at him. "By the way, Derek was teasing you yesterday about that. Who do you like?"

"That," Pyro said, "is none of your business, Kyle." She glared at him, and he laughed.

"You know, I'll find out soon enough. Derek knows, and he'll probably tell me," Kyle told her. "If I bribe him enough," was added as an afterthought.

"I should go talk to him. What do you think?" Pyro asked.

"If you can find him, you should. And, don't do it in front of people," he advised.

Together, they walked downstairs, receiving a couple of looks from their acquaintances. She poked Kyle in the ribs. "I told you so," she said, nodding to a couple of people walking towards them. Kyle laughed at this, but said nothing.

In the common room next door, they could not find Derek. They looked out on the practice courts, but he wasn't there, either. After a while, the two gave up searching, and sat down at a vacant table. Kyle signaled to Tokch to bring them to bring them two drinks.

"So, Pyro, do you have a job tonight?" Kyle asked her as the innkeeper came over with two mugs.

"No, I don't, but I'm supposed to teach the new 'kids' how to fight," Pyro sighed. Tonight, and every night for the rest of the week, were going to be extremely boring. She was going to have to deal with a bunch of people, trying to get them to hold a dagger correctly. Pyro could not think of a worse way to spend the night.

"Ah, well, I'm sorry. Pyro, I have to go. I'll see you later. Tomorrow, maybe." Kyle got up and left.

Pyro had nothing to do until sunset, so she went back to her room to clean her weapons. Her room looked exactly like Kyle's, except the decorations on the bookshelf, and the door to the privy was on the other side of the room. She had two of her eight daggers cleaned, hilt and blade, before her roommate came in. Vesnaugh looked worn-out, her brown hair in a loose horsetail, but stray strands were flying every which way. Her eyes, the same color as her hair, were dull, as she collapsed on her bed. Without even taking off her boots, she rolled over and fell asleep.

Pyro had cleaned all eight daggers, both of her short swords, and her rarely used crossbow and was working on the arrows when Ves woke up, a little after sunset. "Oh, hello, Py," she said, using her name for Pyro. "Have you been here all along?" At Pyro's nod, the older girl said, "You should have woke me up. We could have gone to torment some of the boys."

Pyro grinned, but said, "You were exhausted. I wanted to let you sleep. What were you doing?"

"I had a fun run-in with a Guard. I ran him around the block a few times before climbing onto the roofs. Then, I had to do something for Thraden, and it took awhile." Ves got up, and went into the dressing room with a new tunic and breeches. "After that, I went the long way around. I saw some of the Guards trying to find me." She came out and tossed her dirty clothes on her trunk.

"So, do you want to go down onto the practice courts?" Pyro asked. "I have to be there at two candlemarks past sunset, and I could use some warm-ups before hand."

"Oh, yeah," Vesnaugh said with a smirk. "I heard that you get to teach the newbies how to handle sharp objects." After a moment, she asked, "Did you really fight Derek? I thought that you two were best friends."

"Yeah, but I was mad at him. He took my job, and that's the fourth time this month. He also set the Guard on our tail, but I don't think he knows it. And then, on the same night, he went and told Kyle that I like him!" Pyro said, outraged. "The only good thing that came out of that was that Kyle didn't believe him."

"But you do like him," Vesnaugh pointed out, puzzled. "Would it be so bad to find out that he liked you back?"

"But what if he doesn't? I don't want to lose his friendship, too," Pyro said quietly.

"Pyro, you won't lose him. Believe me. But, if you don't want to tell him, I won't make you. And I won't tell him, either," the taller girl said, seeing the look of warning on Pyro's face. For all Vesnaugh was four years older, and nearly a foot taller, Pyro was stronger, and quicker. Ves was certain that it came with her experience. While she had been in the guild since she was twelve, the younger girl had been there since she was four. She never knew anything else, unlike Vesnaugh, who grew up as a merchant's daughter, running away when her family had died, and no one would take her in, believing that she brought bad luck. "Now, come on, if you want to practice before your class," she said, pulling the door open.

Pyro pull away her tools and weapons, picking up her mess, before running to catch up with her friend. Once on the courts, everyone stopped to watch the comical pair. The tiny, skinny thing was keeping the taller, more muscular girl at bay, even winning. After a quarter of a 'mark, Pyro had her dagger at Vesnaugh's throat. "Do you yield?"

"Of course, Pyro." As the smaller girl pulled back, Vesnaugh rubbed her throat. "It's not like I had much of a choice, anyways." Pyro grinned at her.

Addressing their audience, she barked, "Trainees, stay here! Everybody else, go away!" After hesitating a bit, everybody moved when she barked, "NOW!" With only the new thieves left, Pyro told them, "As you all probably know, the King has asked me to teach you all for a week." Several people snickered. "Hearing that, I take it you know why he asked me? Very well, but if you do that again, you might see why I am considered one of the best fighters here. Now, does everybody have two practice daggers?" Most of the people did, and she sent the rest into the stables to get some. Now that everybody had two daggers, Pyro led them in a couple of warm-ups. Following the warm-ups, they went through the basic blocks and stabs. After two rounds of drills, she put a girl called in charge of them.

Shotach was about twenty years old, and had been in the guild for just under three years. At the end of this year, Thraden would assign her real jobs, a bit like the ones Pyro herself went on, but easier at first. The girl was a bit over five and a half foot tall, and as slender as Pyro. Her blond hair hung down to the middle of her back, and was in a loose braid. Her light blue eyes had a hint of intelligence in them, and also of joy. She had been in Pyro's class before, the last time that Thraden had to discipline her. Every once in a while, Pyro held classes for the most advanced students, and Shotach had been part of these classes for just over a year. She would have been out on jobs long ago, except she wasn't as adept with a lock pick as she needed to be for Thraden to let her out early.

As Shotach took over, Pyro wandered around, correcting people when they did the moves wrong. Learning the lesson wrong now would mean prison or death out on the field. After a candlemark of daggers, they did the same routine with short swords. Learning how to use a bow would be on the job, and only when they had the money to afford their own bow. They did not have enough room in the secret practice courts for an archery range, and it would mean damage to the surrounding buildings. The owners of those buildings might take back their word, and inform the Guard of what they did in the tavern and inn.

After swordplay, Pyro let her students take a half-candlemark break. She went inside to get a drink. At the counter, Tokch gave her a mug, which she downed quickly. As Tokch refilled her cup, she looked around. She knew very few people there, all of her friends had jobs, or were using the free time to catch up on their sleep. Pyro didn't blame them, she was yawning herself. She jumped up and sat on the counter, feet dangling. Tokch became very busy, keeping her students' mugs full.

As she watched the crowded area by the door, Thraden snuck up on her from behind, whispering, "So, how's teaching?" She spur around, and, on seeing who was there, sheathed the dagger in her hand and punched him.

"Oh, wonderful!" she said sarcastically. "I wander around aimlessly for candlemarks. These people know what they're doing, they don't need me." Pyro wanted him to take her off teaching duty.

"Ah, but, Pyro, you need them," Thraden said, pretending to be shocked. "They keep you humble." He slapped her on the back, and walked over to Scachre, laughing. Scachre had just gotten back from a week on the field, doing a special mission for Thraden.

Pyro looked around again, and noticed that the common room was emptying quickly. Shotach came up to her. "Lady Pyro," she said using her name for Pyro, just because Pyro hated it. The two girls had become good friends in Pyro's classes. "We're all waiting for you on the courts. That is, unless you are done with us for tonight?" she teased Pyro. "I heard a rumor that you had elsewhere to spend the nights nowadays. Why didn't you tell me?" Shotach tried to look hurt, but it collapsed under her laughter.

"Shotach, when have I ever deserted my ducklings?" Pyro asked, using her nickname for the trainees. "I'm coming out right now. I wanted to catch you all at your laziest." She made up an excuse, knowing that her friend would never believe her. To prove her right, Shotach laughed again. "You know, just for teasing me, you are going to be my partner and example in hand-to-hand tonight. Wait until you see what we're going to do!" Pyro ran outside.

When the two girls got to the courts, Pyro paired everyone off. As there was an odd number of trainees, Pyro decided that she did want to get Shotach back, and kept her as her partner. "Now tonight, ducklings, we are going to do something fun and painful!" At this, Pyro flashed her partner a grin. She continued, "I am going to teach you how to rid yourself of a nuisance that grips your hand. Come here, Shotach!" She beckoned, and Shotach slumped over. Pyro proceeded to teach the class how to throw off and attack from the front, the back, and from both sides. On every move, Shotach ended up on the floor, or, as happened occasionally, flying into the stable walls. It was a very painful lesson, and after the examples, Pyro had Shotach pair up with Droyris, an older thief, about twenty-two. Pyro called him over when he ambled by, partly so she could escape hitting the floor, and partly because she knew he had a crush on her friend. And, from the way she acted, probably vice versa. He was an inch taller than Shotach, and had the same color eyes, though he had chestnut hair, brushing his shoulders. After a half-candlemark of flying lessons, as they became known as, Pyro led them in the basic hand and foot drills, to cool them off. An hour of that, and they were all ready for bed. All except Shotach, who was headed towards Droyris's room. Pyro guessed that the two had talked earlier that night. She watched the two walk down the hall, hand in hand while she got a drink from Tokch before collapsing in her own bed.

She slept until two or so candlemarks past dawn the next day, which was understandable, seeing as she got to sleep about five 'marks before dawn. She pulled on some fresh clothes, and splashed cold water on her face. Feeling more awake, Pyro went next door. Looking around for Kyle or Derek, she couldn't see them anywhere.

"They're not here, Pyro." Thraden had come up behind here again. He sat down at her table, and took a gulp of whatever was in his mug.

"Do you love trying to scare me to death? Stop sneaking up on me!" Pyro told him. "I know they aren't here, but I can't stop myself from checking." Pyro sighed, asking, "Where did you send them?"

"Derek left on his own, just telling me that he will be back in about a week, and Kyle is in Hashton," he answered, naming a city two days ride south.

"Did he take one of the horses?" Pyro asked. The stables housed four horses, all of them owned by the guild. The rest of the stables was an armory, and a small smithy.

"Of course, I knew you would kill me if he didn't get back as soon as he could."

"What is he doing there?" Pyro asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to keep a conversation going.

"Now, Pyro, you know I cannot tell you that," Thraden said in mock stubbornness. "Kyle can tell you when he gets back, if he wants to." Again he left without a word of farewell.

_He's making that into a bad habit, _Pyro thought, smiling. The rest of the day followed the basic pattern of the day before, and the two days after that. Not being allowed on jobs, Pyro had a lot of time to catch up on her chores. She was able to do all of her laundry and clothes mending the first day, and repairing the second. Her trunk's bottom had fallen off, and Pyro wanted to fix that, and add a new front, the old one had a large crack down the middle, and needed to be replaced. The lock had rusted, so she needed a new one of those, too. After she was done, Pyro decided that it would have been easier to just go buy a new one, but she had already fixed the old one. On the third day, she painted the trunk, and fletched more arrows to add to her pile. She had five at the beginning of the day, and twenty-two by the time for classes.

Her classes also followed the same routine as the first day. First a candlemark of daggers, then a candlemark of swordplay. After that, they got a half-candlemark break, followed by hand-to-hand combat training. Each day, she had a different assistant. First, it was Shotach, then a eighteen-year-old boy with one and a half years with the guild, and a way to cocky attitude, but he was wonderful when it came to weaponry. His name was Elmkat, and he was only two inches taller than Pyro, with short brown hair, and coppery eyes. Her third helper was a trainee, Tozllmos, a foreign man, about twenty-two years old and six foot five. He had short black hair that was amazingly curly, and black eyes. His skin was a blackish brown, and was training to become one of Thraden's spies, back in his old country, Grijkel Instead of Pyro teaching hand-to-hand that day, Tozllmos taught a bit from his home country. On the fourth day, Thraden surprised Pyro by showing up for her class. That day, he was her partner, and she teased him all class, embarrassing him in front of his people. He ragged on her, also, because of her age and height. They had fun that class, throwing each other into walls. On her fifth day of classes, Kyle showed up.

"Hey, Pyro," he said, walking up behind her when she was warming up with her class. She spun around, and had him on the ground before realizing that it was him.

"Oh, Kyle! I'm so sorry," she apologized, helping him up.

He laughed. "It's all right. I know better than to sneak up on you like that." Kyle swept her up in a hug. "Can we talk, after practice, maybe?"

Shotach answered for her. "You know it is so important, Kyle. You have to take her away to talk now, and give us a night off!" She clasped Kyle's arm, while the others in the class murmured their agreement.

"You don't get rid of me that easily, Shotach. You know, Kyle, I don't seem to have an assistant yet, today. You want to help out?" Pyro asked him.

"Why, of course, Pyro! I don't have enough bruises from you as it is." Kyle shook his head, amused. Pyro grabbed his arm, pulling him into the circle of students.

"Just remember, you offered," she told him.

Kyle tried to pull away from her. "Ah, but, you see, Pyro," he started, but Pyro interrupted him, shaking her head.

"No, I don't see, Kyle. That is how I am so good at my job."

"As I was saying, you see, Pyro, I said that in what we call sarcasm. That is saying what we do not mean, normally in a dry voice. You know I was being sarcastic."

"Probably, but I chose to ignore it. I only heard you say that you wanted to help." She handed him a couple of daggers. "Now you are going to help." Her students were watching this with amusement, partially because of the talk, but also because of the strong Kyle trying to pull away from a girl a head shorter than him, and failing. The trip had left him more tired than he was going to admit.

When he didn't take the daggers, Shotach joined the conversation. "What's the matter, Kyle? Afraid of being beaten by a girl?" she taunted him.

No body expected his answer. "Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that, Shotach?" He smirked when the girl was left speechless.

"Now, Kyle, don't go making my students feel bad. Do that when I am not longer in charge of them," she reprimanded him. "I'll tell ya what, you help my with daggers, and I let ya skip swords and hand-to-hand. How does that sound?" She didn't even wait for his answer. "Good, now, let's go! Form your ranks!" she shouted at the trainees. Kyle just shook his head and took the daggers from her hand.


End file.
